ideas for introducing solids without spoon feeding

[theboysmama]

We have allergies in our family. I am allergic to dairy, soy, red meat, peanuts, and corn syrup. I probably have others as well that I haven't identified. ds 1 is allergic to dairy and probably food dies. ds2 is allergic to egg and hasn't had dairy or peanuts yet.
I have always introduced food very slowly w/ the 4 day wait rule and try to avoid allergins.
ds3 is 7 months and has had in this order avacado, banana, sweet potato, and pear. I have been mushing it up and spoon feeding him but i want him to be able to self feed. We tried sliced avacado and banana but he didn't eat it. Just decorated everything with it.
So here is my question. I would like to know of great finger foods or great ways to prepare foods so that my child can self feed that are not high allergens.
tia

[cristeen]

It sounds like you're doing fine with the foods. Rather than pureeing them, cut them into cubes he can handle. He will probably just play with them for a while, because he may not be ready to eat much in the way of solids. That's okay. I would stick with foods you know to be safe for now.

[fortunecookie]

Have you seen those little mesh bags they sell at baby stores? They have a handle for them to hold onto and they suck/chew on the bag in order to pull the food through.

[theboysmama]

we have a mesh bag and i don't think he likes how the mesh feels in his mouth. i will keep trying though.

[alegna]

It's quite possible he isn't ready for solids yet. Give him the food to self feed. If he's ready, he'll eat.

-Angela

[LovinLiviLou]

Here are the foods my 13 mo old self feeds. She has lots of food intolerances, only 2 teeth, and thinks spoons coming at her mouth are the worst thing in the world. My newest challenge is that she is very vocal about wanting to only eat what we eat (and we don't want to just eat what she can eat!):

Steamed and cut into tiny pieces:
rutabagas
butternut squash
choko (also called chayote squash)
asparagus
carrots
beets
green beans
turnip greens
cauliflower
pears (she tolerates cooked better than fresh)
prunes (I actually stew these with some water rather than steaming)

Cooked NT style (meaning soaked and slow cooked):
millet
quinoa
rice
pinto beans
split peas
oatmeal (I cook this and then make little balls which she can pick up herself)

For meats, I either use ground versions or I cut it up into teeny tiny shreds. She eats ground turkey, chicken, chicken liver (she's low in iron), veal liver, beef, and pork.

I make big batches of everything, freeze it in individual portions either in ice cube trays or on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and then once frozen combine into freezer containers (either big glass dishes or ziplocs : ). That's the only way I can keep up with having enough food on hand for her since she has so many food restrictions. It's amazing what all you can freeze - I seriously freeze everything I've listed above.